Method for the production of sound records



April 19, 1966 H. UTIGER METHOD FOR THE PRODUCTION OF SOUND RECORDS Filed June 8, 1961 United States Patent z claims. (el. 264-107) This invention relates to a method for producing gramophone records with an illustration applied to one side.

The methods known so far for the production of image records have not proved satisfactory because they get out of shape with the known method of production or become wavy. A lfurther point leading to the unsuccessful performance of such records, resides in the fact -that the high pressure necessary fo-r converting .thermoplastic -resin into records dam-aged the illustrations to be included and became torn by the unavoidable lateral displacement of material during the pressing process.

It is the purpose of this invention to combine an illustration independently of the grooveless area with label with a record in one piece and to protect the illustration against damage. A further object of the invention is to produce an illustrated record, the surface of which acts anti-statically. This object can be achieved in accordance with the invention by surrounding the illustration with a -transparent recording material in a greater thickness Ithan the one of the coated tone-foil. The life of the record corresponds .to the duration of a tone record of multiple performance. The duration corresponds several times to the duration of a tone foil. The tone groove is not applied to the outer layer under heat and simultaneous pressure as heretofore, but by pressing the heated recording material by cooling olf the pressing mold.

It has been surprising to ascertain (and -this could not be foreseen) that a soun-d Irecord produced in accordance this invention practically does not possess any electrostatic power of attraction. Thus the disturbing particles of dust are not attracted thereto as has been the case with the usual records.

If records are produced Without inclusion of an illu-stra- -tion, such records possess very strong electrostatic powers of attraction. Itis s-urprising lto notice that the inclusion of an illustration in Iaccordance with this method makes these powers disappear, which contributes largely to the elimination of -reproduction interference, caused by particles of dust.

rlhe application of an illustration, independent in its size of the .grooveless surface and related to 4the piece of music, has in addition to its sales appeal, the advantage that the record can be distinguished much easier from another record of a different subject than is the case of well-known records containing a label limited in size and application.

The method covered by this invention for Ithe production of pressed and sprayed records is characterized tha-t the illustration is not applied to the intermediate layer, but coated with a transparent outer layer. The latter completely shuts off the illustration from the outside and it adheres rmly and especially insolubly to the illustration. Furthermore, the groove is not applied to the outer layer as usual under previous heat and pressure, but only 3,247,298 Patented Apr. 19, 1966 by pressing the predheated material according to the cooling-olf method. f

The illustration as well as the recording material can be inserted before the application of the grooves between the image and the matrix in accordance with the pressing method by means of a pressing form having only a matrix with one groove.

T'he pressing method by means of a pressing form with matrixes having two grooves, lcalls for polyvinylchloridefoil of 0.75 mm. of thickness Ito be put in the form, the illustration to be covered with the same foil. In accordance with the invention, the pressing form is simply pressed slightly with the syntheticresin-press with a temperature brought up to 120 C. and pressed subsequently under cooling with a pressure of -tons for each 25 cm. of the record diameter. When the temperature has gone down to a certain level, the yform is opened. The material squeezed out at Ithe edges is removed and the record taken out of the form.

With the spraying method the illustration can be xed in the spraying form in such a way as to Ibe surrounded by the material sprayed in. However, it can also be stretched iu its middle in Ithe spraying form and surrounded by the recording material sprayed in `as far as the edge of the stretching apparatus.

For producing the record, a suitable synthetic resin or a mixture of same can be used.

The method may be illustrated diagrammatically as shown in .the accompanying drawing, in which the four steps are numbered -1 lto 4 -to illustrate the various steps of the method Ifor the production of a composite sound record which -has sound grooves therein. Step #l shows the picture bearing carrier 2 which is placed between plastic foils 1, and step 2 shows the .two foils with 'the carrier there between placed between a press mold inI dicated -by reference characters 3 and 4 of which the press mold part 3 has negative sound grooves on the surface 5. 'Ilhe mold is closed as shown in step 3 and heat is then applied to the mold portions 3 and 4 to thus press the foils 1 to the carrier 2 with a slight press action. By heating the mold, the heat is transferred to the 4foils until the foils have reached plastic state. Then the heating is terminated Iand simultaneously -full press power is applied to the foils, step #4, by the press members 3 and 4 with fthe mold parts 3 and 4 cooled off and thus the composite sound record is produced which is embossed with the surface posi- Itive soun-d grooves on at least one side.

What I claim is:

1. A method for lthe production of a composite sound record hearing sound grooves the record being produced from at least two transparent plastic foils with a picture bearing carrier being inserted between the foils Iand with the picture being visible from at least one side of the record, the method comprising placing the `foils and the intermediate picture bearing carrier into a press mold which has at least one press surface bearing surface negative sound grooves, closing the press mold so as .to slightly press together the foils and the picture bearing carrier, heating the mold so as to thereby transfer heat to the foils until the foils have reached a plastic state, terminating heating, and then simultaneously applying full press power to the foils and the picture bearing carrier while cooling off the mold, whereby a composite sound record is produced which is embossed with surface positive sound grooves on at least one side.

i Y 3,247,2923A v 3 4 2. A method aocording to claim 1 wherein sa-id lfoils are i 599,613 6/ 1960 Canada. Y composed of "polyvinylchlo'ride"having a ltiikbkness"of '677,670H 312/ 1929 France. 0.75 mm. 817,720 8/1959 Great Britain.

References Cited by the Examiner 5 OTHER REFERENCES UNITED STATES PATENTS Recording on Plastics, pp. 4944199, British Plastics, 2,314,417 3/1943 Neal 40-340 Novembr 1960 2,505,787 5/1950 Munkacsi 40-340 FOREIGN' PATENTS ROBERT F. WHITE, Prl'mlry Examiner. 243,288 5/1960 Australia. 10 .EDWARD v. B'ENHAM, MORRIS LI-BBMAN,

550,288 8/ 1956 Belgium. Examiners. 

1. A METHOD FOR THE PRODUCTION OF A COMPOSITE SOUND RECORD BEARING SOUND GROOVES THE RECORD BEING PRODUCED FROM AT LEAST TWO TRANSPARENT PLASTIC FOILS WITH A PICTURE BEARING CARRIER BEING INSERTED BETWEEN THE FOILS AND WITH THE PICTURE BEING VISIBLE FROM AT LEAST ONE SIDE OF THE RECORD, THE METHOD COMPRISING PLACING THE FOILS AND THE INTERMEDIATE PICTURE BEARING CARRIER INTO A PRESS MOLD WHICH HAS AT LEAST ONE PRESS SURFACE BEARING SURFACE NEGATIVE SOUND GROOVES, CLOSING THE PRESS MOLD SO AS TO SLIGHTLY PRESS TOGETHER THE FOILS AND THE PICTURE BEARING CARRIER, HEATING THE MOLD SO AS TO THEREBY TRANSFER HEAT TO THE FOILS UNTIL THE FOILS HAVE REACHED A PLASTIC STATE, TERMINATING HEATING, AND THEN SIMULTANEOUSLY APPLYING FULL PRESS POWER TO THE FOILS AND THE PICTURE BEARING CARRIER WHILE COOLING OFF THE MOLD, WHEREBY A COMPOSITE SOUND RECORD IS PRODUCED WHICH IS EMBOSSED WITH SURFACE POSITIVE SOUND GROOVES ON AT LEAST ONE SIDE. 